


O Kwami, Where Art Thou?

by Interrobanng



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Identity Reveal, Matchmaker Plagg, Misunderstandings, Romance, kwagatama headcanon, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 16:04:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15513450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Interrobanng/pseuds/Interrobanng
Summary: Plagg runs away from home. Adrien gets desperate. Marinette is just doing the best she can. Tikki is having none of it.





	1. Chapter One

**_Disclaimer:_ **

_I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or any associated content/properties._

***

 

**_O Kwami, Where Art Thou?_ **

****

*******

 

“Happy birthday, kid.” Plagg bounced around Adrien’s bedroom with a happy grin.

“Thanks, Plagg.” Adrien laughed as he got dressed for the day. “But you know it’s not my birthday, right?”

“It’s the anniversary of the day we met, which is as good as a birthday.”

“Ha, yeah, I guess there’s some truth to that.”

_“Ptooey!”_

“Ew! Gross! Why did you spit on my forehead?!”

“I didn’t spit on—” _plink._ “Oh no, you dropped it!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Pick it up, pick it up! That’s a priceless kwami treasure, that is.”

“…why did your glowing spit turn into a lumpy six?”

“It’s called a kwagatama. It’s a symbol of—”

“What is this thing made out of?”

“Human hair.”

_“What?!”_

“As I was saying, it’s a symbol of friend—”

“Eww, Plagg, give me a break.” Adrien groaned, bundling up his night shirt and lobbing it at his kwami. “Don’t cough up _hairballs_ on my _head_ , dude. What’s wrong with you?”

“You know what? Never mind, you _jerk!”_

“Huh? Wait, Plagg, come back!”

“No! I’m running away from home! I’m going someplace where my contributions are appreciated!”

“Plagg! You can’t go outside right now, it’s broad daylight!”

“Don’t try and follow me!”

“Plagg? Plagg! Get back here! PLAGG!”

Adrien stood alone in his bedroom, just him and the morning sunshine. All that remained of the little black cat was the lumpy bead in Adrien’s hand and the lingering stench of Camembert.

“He’s bluffing.” Adrien told himself confidently. “He’ll be back. He has nowhere else to go. Yeah. He’ll be back any second now.”

Plagg didn’t come back.

At least not before Nathalie came and told Adrien that it was time to go to school.

 

***

 

Marinette was sitting on her bed and was halfway through getting dressed when a furious black blob came hurtling through her ceiling, shouting at the top of its lungs that “I never want to see his ungrateful mug again!”

She screamed and tried to shield herself with her cat-shaped body pillow, but wound up tripping over the pant legs tangled around her knees and falling out of the loft. She landed face-down on the floor below with a heavy smack, pants around her ankles and her blouse unbuttoned.

“Ow…” She groaned as Tikki flittered nervously over her head.

“Marinette! Are you okay? Stop whining, Plagg. Look what you’ve done to my Chosen! You’ve broken her!”

“I’m not _whining_ , I’m _kvetching._ There’s a very important distinction. And she doesn’t look broken to me.”

“You’re not even supposed to _be_ here.”

“Tikki?” Marinette sat up and slowly stretched her arms and legs, checking to make sure nothing was permanently damaged. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but for _some_ reason—and it had better be a _good_ reason—Chat Noir’s kwami has decided to pay us a visit.” Tikki sighed. “Marinette, meet Plagg. Plagg, I believe you know Marinette.”

“I’m well acquainted.” Plagg dipped in the air in front of the teenager, looking moderately abashed. Then his eyes darkened and his ears drooped. “And I _do_ have a good reason. That reason being, Chat Noir is a huge jerk.”

“That’s not a good reason.”

“I dunno, Tikki.” Marinette smirked as she stood up and finished pulling her pants on. “He’s got a point. Chat _can_ be a huge jerk sometimes.”

“See, Tikki? Marinette knows what’s what.” Plagg winked. Tikki shook her head in disgust.

“Did the two of you have a fight?” Marinette asked him sympathetically. Plagg sniffed dramatically and nodded, a few tears swelling in the corners of his eyes. Marinette’s heart went out to the sad little creature who had come to her for comfort and safety. Even though she’d never seen or spoken with Chat’s kwami before now, she felt as if she’d known him all along.

“Do you want to hang out with us for a bit?” Marinette asked the floating cat.

“Marinette!” Tikki gasped, horrified. “You shouldn’t encourage this!”

“What’s the harm? It’ll give them both a chance to cool off. And it’s better if he’s with us than on his own. If he’s with us, he’ll know right away if there’s an akuma attack so he can go back to Chat, and I know how to keep a kwami hidden in the meantime. It’ll just be for a little while, right, Plagg?”

“Sure, sure, sure, where’s the cheese?”

“Uh, I think there’s some cheese in the fridge downstairs…do…do you want me to get you some?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”

“Okay. Um…do you want any particular kind of cheese?”

“Yeah. Here, I’ll write you a list.”

_This can only end poorly._ Tikki thought with growing trepidation as she watched her Chosen and her counterpart bond over a grocery list. _I hope Adrien isn’t too worried._

***

 

Adrien was exceedingly worried.

And the closer the hands of the classroom clock got to lunchtime, the closer he got to full-on freaking the fuck out.

Plagg had been gone for _hours._ The only time the god of destruction went this long without eating was when Adrien was transformed. His appetite was as infinite as his lifespan. Adrien could count on one hand the number of times Plagg had missed a meal for anything less than an immediate super-threat since they’d met, because that number was zero. There were only two possible explanations for the lack of cheese-related sarcasm in Adrien’s life right now.

Possibility #1: Plagg had found someone else to provide him with Camembert.

Possibility #2: Plagg was dead.

Both possibilities spelled certain doom, for Adrien and for the rest of Paris. And though intellectually he knew he should prefer Possibility #1 to Possibility #2, the honest truth was that both ideas cut just as deep. Obviously, it was better all around if Plagg was alive, but…

But Adrien didn’t want to be replaced.

Also, an akuma could attack at any second. Adrien was a little surprised no black butterflies had already been spotted that morning. Perhaps Hawk Moth was getting a slow start.

Or…perhaps Hawk Moth had found Plagg, and was holding him hostage.

He could already see the headlines: _Moth Catches Chat’s Magic Cat; Citizenry Confused By Kwami Capture; Hawk Has Hostage—Heroes Helpless!_

Not to mention…Ladybug was going to kill him once she found out. What kind of Miraculous Holder just _let_ their kwami run away from home?

Adrien lost himself in his thoughts as the teacher got sidetracked by a disagreement with Max over a trigonometry problem. He wasn’t the only one taking a mental vacation as the debate grew more heated and technical. Behind him, Marinette was doodling in the margins of her textbook and wondering if she should try to get a message to Chat to let him know that Plagg was safe.

The obvious problem was that she didn’t know how to reach him. The Cat and Bug phone only worked when they were both transformed. She’d considered leaving a note for him in one of their special spots around the city, but decided against it. It was far too risky leaving information about kwamis lying around where anyone with roof access could find it. Besides, how was Chat going to climb the Eiffel Tower without Plagg?

She could always ask Master Fu to pass along the message, but she didn’t want to go that far unless it was absolutely necessary. She doubted he’d approve of Plagg’s unexpected sojourn and she wasn’t desperate enough to risk the Guardian’s displeasure quite yet. Tikki’s stone-faced exasperation was bad enough.

Besides, if even half the things Plagg had been telling her about Chat were true, he probably hadn’t even noticed his kwami was missing.

_It’s fine the way it is._ She decided as the teacher suddenly realized that Max was absolutely correct and, embarrassed and irritated, shouted at the entire class to _just go to lunch already_ even though lunch wouldn’t start for another eight minutes. _Chat’s probably enjoying some alone time or maybe he’s busy with—_

Her train of thought came to a sudden halt as Adrien turned around in his seat and looked up in her direction. She had noticed that he seemed tense when he walked in that morning, but over the course of the class his expression had gone from stressed to miserable. She had no idea what was causing his suffering, but she was willing to do (almost) anything to make it better.

“S-something is Adrien wrong?”

Adrien blinked several times, the storm clouds clearing from his eyes as his unfocused gaze snapped back to the present. Marinette’s face burned as she held her breath and waited for his response. He could usually tell what she meant even if she mangled the words (or accidentally let slip a little more than she intended). Hopefully her luck would hold.

“Sorry, Marinette, I was spacing out a little. What did you say?”

_Yes! Second go-around, here we go!_

“I said, wrong Adrien is something?”

_No! Dammit! Okay! Third time’s the lucky charm!_

“I mean, is something wrong, Adrien?” Marinette finally managed to get the sentence out properly and she sagged with relief.

“Oh…uh…” Adrien wasn’t certain how to answer. He couldn’t tell her the truth, but he also hated lying to Marinette. Unfortunately, he found himself having to lie to Marinette (and the rest of his friends) an awful lot. “It’s nothing important.” He told her. “I didn’t sleep much last night, that’s all.” Before Marinette could respond, Alya leaned over and demanded her attention.

“Marinette, where do you want to go for lunch today?”

“Oh…” Marinette turned to look at her friend, and Adrien let out a sigh of relief. He knew how Marinette felt about being lied to. He dreaded the day she caught him. “Sorry, Alya. I have to go to the fromagerie.”

“Really?” Alya asked skeptically.

“Which one?” Adrien asked at the same time.

“Yes, really. And the one closest to here.” Marinette answered both of them.

“I’ll come with you.” Adrien began stuffing his belongings into his bag. Both girls stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

“That’s really not necessary.” Marinette told him. “I’m just picking some things up for my parents.” It was a lie, and she felt terrible about lying to Adrien, but telling the truth wasn’t an option.

“I don’t mind.” Adrien assured her. “That’s where I was heading anyway.”

_“Really?”_ Alya repeated, her tone even more skeptical than before. “Why?”

“I…like cheese?”

“… _sure_ you do.”

Adrien didn’t care for the knowing quality in Alya’s voice, but at least she had stopped interrogating him. “We can take the car.” He told Marinette.

Marinette was blushing too hard to form words, so she nodded and followed him out the door.

 

***

 

 

_Fromagerie Albert_ was a classic Parisian cheese shop, from the gold lettering on the sign to the musky odor that leaked out of the sliding doors and wafted down the sidewalk. Albert himself wasn’t working that day and it was his grandson Raoul who greeted the two classmates when they entered the shop.

“Bonjour, Mademoiselle! Bonjour, Adrien! How’d the fencing tournament go?”

Marinette raised a curious eyebrow and Adrien felt the first twinges of panic when he realized he was going to have to come up with a lie that would explain his close personal relationship with their friendly neighborhood cheese mongers.

At least Marinette had chosen _Fromagerie Albert_ and not _Chez Laurent._ He wouldn’t have been able to explain the large portrait of himself that Madam Laurent had insisted on hanging behind the cash register after he single-handedly provided them with enough business that they were able to open a second location.

“Oh, you know.” Adrien waved away the question. “You win some, you lose some.”

“You won your last tournament.” Marinette reminded him, concerned by Adrien’s apparent reluctance to take credit for his achievements. She approached the counter with a sunny smile. “It was a close call, though. His opponent was really good. There were a few moments when I thought for sure it was over, but then Adrien pulled out this one move that blew _everyone_ away. They had to stop the whole tournament to check if he’d broken any rules. There were a couple people who wanted to ban him from fencing entirely, but then one of the judges gave this speech about creativity and the human spirit and…”

Adrien took advantage of Marinette and Raoul’s distraction to search the shop for any trace of his kwami. Plagg had said he was going somewhere his contributions would be appreciated. The cheese shop seemed as likely a location as anywhere else. He looked under the shelves and behind the signage. He even picked up some of the larger wheels of cheese in case Plagg had burrowed inside.

The kwami was nowhere to be found.

“Adrien?” Marinette had noticed his search. She had handed Raoul her grocery list and was waiting while he filled a bag with her order. “Is everything alright?”

_No. Everything is terrible._

“Yeah. Just, y’know, looking around.” Adrien smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“If you’re looking for something we don’t have in stock, I’d be happy to special order it for you.” Raoul offered.

“No, that’s fine.” Realizing he’d have to actually buy something at this point, Adrien added: “Just the usual, please.”

“Sure. Do you want me to make that a double or do you want separate bags?”

“Huh?” Adrien hadn’t paid any attention to Marinette’s shopping and had no idea that her grocery list was the same as Plagg’s bi-weekly cheese pick up. “Oh, uhhh…separate bags, I guess. But you can put it all on my tab.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Marinette protested. “It’s really expensive cheese.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He told her. “I get a friends and family discount anyway.”

“If you’re sure…” She said reluctantly as Raoul handed Adrien two heavy paper bags filled with wheels of Camembert, Epoisses and Blue Stilton. “I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“If you want to, but it really isn’t that big a deal. Thanks, Raoul.”

“Don’t mention it, Adrien. See you on Thursday.”

“You must really like cheese…” Marinette noted as they left the shop. Adrien didn’t know what to say, having yet to come up with a convincing lie, so he just laughed nervously.

Inside Marinette’s purse, Tikki glared at Plagg as he refused to make eye contact.

 

***

 

Adrien convinced his driver to stop at Plagg’s favorite movie theater before they went back to the school. After Camembert, buttery popcorn was Plagg’s most frequent food craving. But there was no sign of Plagg in the lobby and the employees refused to let him search the theaters.

“If you told me what you’re looking for, I could help.” Marinette offered. She had followed him inside and was watching him peer into trash cans with a consternated expression.

“I’m not looking for anything.”

“…oh.” Marinette sounded dejected and Adrien winced, realizing how rude he was being.

“Mari—”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll head back to school on my own, okay? Good luck with…whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Marinette, wait!” Adrien grabbed her elbow but she jerked it out of his grip. The reflex sent her stumbling into a movie patron who had just left the concession stand with a large soda. The plastic lid popped off and both the man and the girl were doused with syrupy blue liquid.

“Clumsy brat!” The man bellowed. “Watch where you’re going!”

Marinette opened her mouth to apologize but Adrien stepped between them before she could say a word.

“Don’t talk to her like that.” He snapped. He was too stressed out to attempt defusing the situation as he normally would. “It was an accident.”

“How dare you!” The man’s sour face turned purple with anger. “I paid good money for this soda!”

“It costs like, what, €1.50? €1.90?” Marinette muttered quietly. Adrien snorted appreciatively and smirked at their older adversary.

“Why you rude little—”

“Here.” Adrien reached for his wallet and pulled out a handful of euros. He threw them at the stranger. “That should cover the soda, the shirt and the damage to your ego. Come on, Marinette. Let’s get out of here.” Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and began stalking towards the exit, dragging her behind him.

The man let loose a furious growl and lunged at them, reaching for the back of Adrien’s neck. Marinette saw him coming and spun Adrien out of the way, bringing his spine flush against her torso. She used her free hand to help the man along as he stumbled past them. He lost his balance and face planted in the grimy red carpet, yelping and cursing.

“Hey!” Shouted one of the workers. “What’s going on over there?”

“Run!” Now it was Marinette’s turn to drag Adrien behind her. It took him a few seconds to recover from his surprise and the feel of her breasts pressed against his back, the sensation of her muscular arm wrapped protectively around his waist. But he snapped out of it when one of the employees shouted something about the police. They raced out of the movie theater and jumped into the idling car.

“Go, go, go!” Adrien hollered at the driver, who immediately shifted out of park and pulled out into traffic. The teenagers spun around and peered out the rear window as they drove away. They laughed and waved as the angry man and two of the employees ran out onto the sidewalk and looked around for them. They continued to laugh until the car turned the corner at the end of the street and the movie theater vanished from sight.

Adrien turned and looked at Marinette, intending to compliment her on her reflexes (and, hopefully, fluster her enough that she would completely forget what had caused the confrontation in the first place) only to find himself tongue-tied when he noticed that Marinette’s soda-soaked blouse was now totally see-through. Marinette noticed his wide-eyed stare and looked down.

“Eep!” She yelped, turning tomato red and covering her chest with her arms. At least she was wearing one of her nicer bras. “Um…could you ask the driver to drop me off at the bakery?”

“Uhh…oh! Yeah, of course. Sorry…” Adrien replied after an uncomfortable delay, nervously running his hand through his hair. As he relayed the message to the driver, he wondered why he’d never before noticed the lumpy nine-shaped pendant Marinette wore around her neck.

 

***

 

As soon as she was back in her room, Marinette opened her purse and released the two kwamis from its confines. She gave Plagg a wheel of Camembert and handed Tikki a macron before turning towards her closet and rooting around for a clean shirt.

“So, how’s it going Plagg?” She asked over her shoulder. “Are you ready to go back to Chat yet?”

“I doubt he even wants me back.” Plagg sighed dramatically, his whiskers drooping with melancholy.

“You _know_ that isn’t true.” Tikki told him flatly. They had spent the last half hour listening to Adrien grow increasingly desperate in his search, and he knew it just as well as she did. The problem was that Marinette was falling for Plagg’s kitten eyes hook, line and sinker, and Tikki wasn’t sure how to reveal her counterpart for the con artist he was without blowing Adrien’s cover as well.

“She’s right, Plagg.” Marinette said, her voice filled with innocent concern. “Even if you two had a fight, I’m sure Chat still cares about you.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew how he treats me.” Plagg murmured softly and reluctantly, as if making a painful confession.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked as she pulled on a light blue sweater.

“Yeah, this should be good for a laugh.” Tikki muttered darkly.

“He yells at me all the time for every tiny mistake. But I’m a kwami! I don’t know how the human world works! How am I supposed to know if something’s food or not unless I try it?”

“Well, maybe Chat could be a little more patient, but I’m sure that he has your best interests at—”

“And if I don’t do what he wants, when he wants, he blackmails me.”

“Well, he definitely shouldn’t blackmail you, but it can be hard sometimes—”

“He always makes fun of me for how much I eat and he calls me names like pig and floating stomach.”

“Well, it’s never okay to make fun of someone for something like tha—”

“Also, he has a violent temper. Just this morning he said I was gross and then he threw things at me! I could have been squashed like a pancake!”

“Oh, Plagg!” Marinette gasped, her bluebell eyes wide and horrified. “I’m so sorry! You can stay as long as you want!” She reached out and cupped Plagg in her hands, stroking his head with her thumb before lifting him to rest on her shoulder.

“You _liar._ ” Tikki spat in outraged disbelief as Marinette walked away. “You shameless, conniving _liar_.”

Plagg winked and stuck his tongue out at her over the the human’s shoulder, clearly enjoying himself and in no hurry to go home.

 

***

 

Adrien’s chance to ask about the necklace came at the end of Ms. Mendeleiev’s class. As soon as the students were dismissed, he turned around in his seat and said, “Marinette, I like your necklace. Where’d you get it?”

Marinette’s hand automatically flew to cover the pendent hidden under her sweater as Alya blinked and asked, “What necklace?”

“Oh, um…” Adrien blushed, realizing that there might be a reason he’d never noticed the necklace before. “Sorry, was that a weird question? I saw it earlier when…uh…y’know…”

“No, I don’t know.” Alya leaned forward, looking between them with intense curiosity. “When what? What happened? What necklace? Does this have anything to do with you changing your clothes?”

“It’s nothing.” Marinette said nervously, apparently overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. “A friend gave it to me.”

“What friend?” Alya and Adrien asked at the same time.

“Just a friend. You don’t know he—him.” Marinette stood up and began backing away from the desks, holding her purse in front of her like a shield. Adrien stood up as well and watched her retreat with a suspicious frown. “H-he, uh…goes to a different school. In Prague. So you’ll probably never meet him, and I’ll probably never mention him again, and there’s absolutely nothing unusual or mysterious about it. Okay bye!”

“Some guy I don’t know is giving you jewelry that you’re actually _wearing_ and you’ve been keeping it a secret from me?” Alya gasped, leaping up from her desk and chasing after her friend. “Marinette, get back here!”

“Sorry gotta run!” Marinette shouted as she fled the intrigued Ladyblogger.

_Nah…_ Adrien thought as he reached into his pocket and fiddled with Plagg’s weird lumpy hairball. _Couldn’t be._

***

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

**_***_ **

 

Okay, obviously it was a ridiculous idea, but then who was giving Marinette jewelry? And why was it so important to her? And why wouldn’t she tell Alya about it? And why would she run away when they tried to ask her about it?

These questions gnawed at Adrien all throughout fencing lessons.

Either…Marinette was telling the truth and was involved somehow with a mysterious exotic stranger with whom she shared secrets, and he _wasn’t_ talking about her occasional midnight rendezvous with Chat Noir, which didn’t sit right with him for reasons he didn’t care to analyze currently.

Or…she had panicked and made up some half-baked excuse on the spot because she couldn’t tell them that it was a magic pendent made from kwami spit and human hair.

Which was totally impossible, because there was no way Marinette was Ladybug, and no one other than Ladybug would have one of those pendants. But Marinette did have the pendant which meant that she had to be La—

Nope, nope, no way. There was no way on this earth or in this universe that Adrien Agreste would ever be that lucky.

But that left him with the secret lover explanation.

Which…was _not_ a satisfactory explanation.

Also, why was she going around buying large amounts of Plagg’s favorite cheeses? And why had she reacted so gracefully when the man at the movie theater attacked them? Ladybug had a kwami of her own, right? And if anyone would know how to find a kwami, wouldn’t it be another kwami? If Plagg really was in trouble, wasn’t it Adrien’s responsibility to follow every lead, no matter how far-fetched?

And he’d already broken into every locker in the locker room, knowing that Plagg sometimes liked to phase into random compartments for a nap. Asking Marinette a few more questions was perfectly reasonable by comparison. Sure, it was risky, but unlike breaking and entering, talking to Marinette was legal. And it wasn’t really that different from the times he’d followed up on her interactions with Chat Noir by asking her opinion as Adrien.

And if that didn’t work…his best option was probably to walk around Paris shouting ‘Claws out’ and hoping there were no cameras around when he finally got close enough to his kwami’s hiding spot and/or prison. Asking Marinette about the necklace one last time was _way_ more responsible and practical.

Maybe she _did_ know where Plagg was. Maybe Chat Noir wasn’t the only one sneaking out every once in a blue moon to pay the bakers’ daughter a visit. Maybe Plagg had given her a hairball too and that was why she had the necklace. Maybe Plagg was Marinette’s secret friend and Adrien had stumbled on something far stranger and confusing than he’d realized. And that didn’t necessarily mean that she was Ladybug.

Because there was _no way_.

No. Fricken. Way.

Adrien’s foil fell from his hand and clattered to the floor as he spotted a pair of familiar pigtails vanish into the library. “Sorry!” He yelped at his opponent as he pulled off his mask and darted towards the locker room. “Stomachache! Gotta go!”

“Wait!” His opponent cried. “You forgot your foil!”

Adrien pretended that he didn’t hear and changed out of his gear as fast as he could manage without hurting himself. He was afraid that if he didn’t hurry, he would lose his nerve. He was already breaking into a clammy sweat; his heart was already beating in his throat. If he didn’t talk to her _right now_ , he’d never be able to work up the courage again. Adrien ignored the confused and curious stares he received from his fellow fencers as he came charging out of the locker room and raced towards the library doors. He threw them open a little harder than was necessary. He sprinted through the stacks, searching for the girl. He finally found Marinette sitting at one of the study tables in the center of the library, a history textbook open in front of her. She didn’t notice him, believing herself to be alone, and she appeared so unguarded and relaxed that Adrien couldn’t help but stop and stare at her for a moment.

Had he ever really looked, and he meant really _looked_ , at Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

She was unbelievably kind, sometimes irresponsibly so. Benevolent as a goddess, and like a goddess occasionally naïve to the impact her actions had on mere mortals. The softness of her demeanor belied an iron will and a razor-sharp temper. She was compact. Petite was the polite word, but it didn’t do her justice. Petite was a fragile, delicate word—like doily or effervescent. Marinette was a contained explosion—tiny but _powerful_. So strong and so energetic, she could light up a room without saying a word. Sure, she had the downy raven pigtails, the wild chicory eyes, but it was also in the way she tilted her head, the curve of her crossed knees, the confident languid twirl of her fingers as she tapped a pen against the side of the table. It was in the way she breathed, the way she held herself. It was in the beat of her rhythm. How had he not seen it before?

_Because it’s not possible._ He reminded himself before taking a deep breath and approaching the table.

Even though it definitely wasn’t possible…he had to try anyway. For Plagg.

“Hey, Marinette.”

“A-A-Adrien! H-hello!” Marinette chirped, almost falling out of her chair as she swiveled to greet him. “Can I do you for what? No! I mean—can I for you—ugh…what’s up?”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Why stop there? I mean! Sure! Of course!” She giggled nervously as he took a seat across from her.

Adrien smiled at her and wondered how to begin. He hadn’t planned this far ahead.

“About the friend who gave you the necklace…”

Well, there was no turning back now.

Marinette’s expression immediately went blank. “I’m sorry, Adrien. I’d really rather not discuss that.”

“Why not?” Adrien pressed her. “I don’t mean to pry, but it kind of seems like something is bothering you.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Adrien.” She replied flatly while maintaining unwavering eye contact, giving nothing away, yielding no quarter. “What were you looking for at lunch?”

Adrien stared back, refusing to be the one who broke first. “I wasn’t looking for anything.”

“Right. And I got the necklace from a guy in Prague.”

The two teenage superheroes glared suspiciously at each other across the study table, both aware that the other was lying and both unable to call the other out on it without acknowledging that they were lying themselves.

“Does this friend have a name?”

“No.”

“No, he doesn’t have a name? Or no, you won’t tell me?”

“No.”

Adrien sighed. Oh well, it was time to take his shot. “Marinette, I get it if you _can’t_ tell me. _Believe me,_ I get it. I just…I want you to know that you can trust me. Even if you can’t tell me the truth, you can still trust me.” He ended up being the one to break eye contact after all as he gulped and looked down at his hands, tightly clasped in his lap. “Like how I trust you, even though there are some things I shouldn’t talk about.”

“What kind of things?” Marinette whispered, sapphire eyes burning with an unidentifiable emotion.

“So…I have this friend. And we’re close. Like, _really_ close. We’re so close that sometimes it’s almost as if we’re one person, you know? Not the same person, just one person, if that makes any sense to you. Only, this morning, we kind of got into a fight.”

“What about?” She sounded as if she was about to cry. Adrien would have been more alarmed if he wasn’t so focused on squelching the burning in his own eyes. The air between them crackled with intensity. Somehow, they both already knew how this was going to end.

“He tried to give me something and it took me by surprise. I didn’t handle it very well. I think I offended him more than I realized at the time.” Adrien reached into his pocket and pulled out the strange bead, placing it in the center of the table equal distance between them. Marinette stared at it as if she expected it to grow fangs and bite her. “He ran away and I haven’t heard from him since. I’ve been really worried, but then I saw your necklace and thought what if…maybe…maybe your friend…might know my friend?”

Adrien was completely engrossed in his close examination of the carpet under his chair, and he was not prepared when Marinette lunged across the table. She grabbed his right hand, holding it tightly between both of hers and staring at his silver ring as if she’d never seen it before. Adrien’s breath caught in his throat as his left hand rose of its own volition and brushed against one of her earrings—the tiny grey orbs she wore every day, _every single day_. Electricity sparked between them and they both jumped away, from the table as well as from each other. Pulse racing, Adrien plastered himself against a bookshelf as Marinette sank to the floor with a prolonged wordless moan. As Adrien struggled and failed to recover from his shock, Marinette dragged her limp body under the table, intent on hiding from her partner and the entire rest of the world while she was at it.

“…what…the…fuck…” Adrien breathed through the cloud of shock and worst case scenarios and realized daydreams that had settled over him.

Marinette was still processing but she had enough brain power left over to peer out from underneath the table and say, “What the fuck do you mean what the fuck? Weren’t you already certain?” A trembling finger emerged from the shadows and wagged accusingly at him. “Because if you took this much of a risk without being certain there will be _consequences_.”

“Of course I wasn’t certain!” Adrien yelped. “I was _desperate!_ I can’t find my kwami! This was a hail mary!”

“Oooohh…” Marinette collapsed once again under the table, unable to hold herself up under the weight of these revelations.

Adrien continued babbling as he began ripping at his hair with his hands. “I never expected—I never thought—I never even dreamed that—okay maybe I had one dream but—holy shit, Marinette, you’re mother flippin’ _La—_ ”

“Shut up!”

Marinette had never spoken to Adrien like that, and he was so surprised that for a few seconds it actually worked and his jaw locked shut. But years of being rebuffed by his partner had inoculated him against her snapping-turtle temper, and the effect didn’t last long. “But you’re Ladyb—”

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”

“You understood what I meant, right? You know what my ring is, right? And that thing I said about sometimes being like one person but not the same person?”

“Adrien…we _really_ shouldn’t be talking about this…”

“No, no, no, I know, but I need to hear you say it, Marinette.” Adrien knelt beside the table so that he could see her face, looking as serious and sincere as he was able with saucer-wide bloodshot eyes and hair sticking up at every possible angle. “I need to know you understand. I can’t go on just assuming…”

“I _understand_ , Chaton.”

“…holy shit. Holy shit, holy shit, holy flaming mother of all shit, what is even _happening_ right now oh my god—”

Suddenly, Marinette rolled out from under the table and grabbed the back of Adrien’s collar. She hauled him upright and dragged him into the book stacks, away from the table and her purse. Before Adrien could ask what was wrong, she had shoved him against a shelf and pinned him there by bracing her hands on either side of his shoulders.

“Did you throw things at him?” She hissed, her voice low and threatening.

Adrien blinked. “What?”

“Plagg said you threw things at him. Did you?”

“So you _do_ know where he is!”

“Answer the question!”

“Of course I didn’t throw things at him!”

“Kitty, if you’re lying to me right now I swear to god…”

“ _Bugaboo_ , I’m not lying.” Adrien snapped back, irritation finally breaking him out of his shock. “I have no idea why he would say something like—oh, wait…”

“Ah-ha!”

“No, it’s not what you think.” Adrien sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I threw a shirt at him, _just_ a shirt, because he spat that weird bead-hairball thing on my head. And I barely threw it. Chucked it in his general direction would be more accurate.”

“By bead-hairball thing, you mean the kwagatama?”

“Maybe? Yeah, I think that’s what he called it. Or something like that, anyway.” Adrien sighed. “I realize now that it was really important to him. But at the time, I just thought it was weird and kind of gross. And then he said it was made out of human hair and…”

“He said you do a lot of other bad stuff too.” Marinette interrupted, her tone suspicious and wary. She squinted at his face, searching for something, though he did not know what. “He said you call him names like pig and floating stomach.”

“Okay, maybe sometimes, and I’m not proud of it, but I spend upwards of five thousand euros a _month_ on cheese. Sometimes it makes me cranky.” Adrien defended himself nervously.

“He said you blackmail him.”

“I don’t _blackmail_ him, I _bribe_ him. There’s a huge difference.”

“And he said that you yell at him for every little mistake.”

“I only yell at him for trying to eat things that clearly aren’t food. Like Chloe’s bracelet. Remember that time Sabrina’s dad got akumatized? Yeah. That was all because Plagg tried to eat the bracelet and got it stuck around his head.” Adrien frowned, beginning to feel hurt. “Marinette, do you seriously think that I’m the kind of asshole who would mistreat my kwami?”

“No…” Marinette replied slowly, chewing on her bottom lip. “Of course not…”

But Adrien noticed that she wouldn’t meet his eyes and that stung. That stung a lot.

“Did you seriously think that _Chat Noir_ would mistreat his kwami?” He demanded, crossing his arms and frowning. They were only a few inches apart. He could sense every minute fluctuation in her body as if it were his own.

“I…I….” Marinette had the decency to look ashamed. “…Plagg’s really convincing…”

“Unbelievable.”

“How was I supposed to know that you’re the same person?”

“That’s not the point! What’s unbelievable is that you trust your _classmate_ more than you trust your _partner!”_

Marinette winced. “I trust my _friend_.”

“So what am I? Chopped liver?”

“No, that’s not what I—you’re _both_ my—ugh, this is giving me a headache…” Marinette took a step back, giving the pair some much needed personal space. “I’m sorry, Adrien. You’re right. I should have listened to your side of the story before making up my mind.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.” Adrien sagged as the fight went out of him. “This whole mess is my fault for being such a jerk to Plagg this morning.”

“I’m sure he’ll forgive you.” Marinette offered hesitantly. “Especially since he knows how worried you’ve been…”

“Has he been with you this whole time?”

“Yeah. I wanted to tell you he was safe, but I wasn’t sure how to contact you.” Marinette stared at her toes, feeling very awkward indeed. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes went wide, her face went red and one of her hands snapped out and smacked him lightly across the chest. “Oh my god, Adrien— _you’re Chat Noir!”_

“Yeah, well— _you’re Ladybug!”_ Adrien suddenly felt sick to his stomach. “Oh my god—that night we fought Glaciator…it was _you_ the whole time!”

 “We already had plans to get ice cream with everyone! And then you just showed up! What was I supposed to do?!” Marinette cried defensively, looking as green as he felt.

“I don’t know! I’m not saying you did anything wrong! I’m just saying _oh my god it was you the whole time!”_

“No—oh _my_ god, it was _you_ the whole time!” Marinette hurled back, going from green to woozy.

“I can’t believe Ladybug has pictures of me all over her bedroom.” Adrien burst into hysterical giggles. His arms were wrapped to tightly around his chest that his hands were buried in his armpits. His whole body felt like a taut rubber band.

“You really want to go there, Sir Flex-a-lot?”

“I’d follow you anywhere, Bakerbug.”

“Oh dear god…”

“Ladypie?”

“I’ll ladypie your _face_ …”

“What about Mariboo?”

“You already made me skip lunch, don’t make me lose it too.”

“Buginette?”

“That…that one I don’t _completely_ hate…”

Adrien was so surprised to have finally found a nickname that could pass muster that he lost his balance and fell over, nearly splitting his skull open on the corner of a bookshelf.

 

***

 

As soon as Marinette dragged Adrien into the stacks and she was sure that the coast was clear, Tikki grabbed Plagg by the scruff of his neck and shook him awake.

“We need to talk.”

“Later.” Plagg yawned without opening his eyes. “After my nap.”

“No.” Tikki hissed furiously. “Your childishness has just resulted in _both_ our Chosens revealing their identities, so we’re going to talk _now._ Come on.” Without waiting for a reply, she phased out of the purse and zoomed through the ceiling, hauling Plagg behind her like a sack of potatoes.

“Yowch!” He protested as she threw him across the school roof. “What’s your problem?”

“ _You’re_ my problem, you leech.”

“If Marinette doesn’t object to me hanging out, why should you?”

“First of all, Marinette doesn’t know you well enough to realize that you’re taking advantage of her. Second of all, you drove Adrien to revealing himself to Marinette!”

“So?”

“So!” Tikki screeched, unable to contain her outrage. “Their identities are supposed to be a secret!”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Plagg…if this was all an elaborate set up to get them to reveal themselves, I swear to me I will…”

“What? You’ll what? Be adorable at me? Help! I’m so scared!” Plagg rolled through the air, cackling triumphantly.

“Ooooo!” Tikki tried to growl but unfortunately it came out as a squeaky hiccupping purr, which only made Plagg laugh harder. “Stop that! It’s not funny, Plagg!”

“I happen to think it’s hilarious.”

“This is a very serious situation!”

“Yeah—they might trip over their own feet _twice_ as often now.”

“You did this on purpose! Admit it!”

“Oh no—you caught me!” Plagg smirked and bobbed towards his counterpart, stopping a few centimeters away so they were snout-to-snout. “What are you gonna do about it, Sugarcube?”

“This.” Tikki spat, grabbing Plagg by the scruff of his neck once more. Before Plagg could react, the two kwamis vanished in an explosion of rainbow sparkles.

 

***

 

Once Adrien had stopped seeing stars, and once Marinette had been suitably convinced that he wasn’t about to bleed out on the carpet, they returned to the study tables at the center of the library. Adrien was eager to be reunited with his kwami, and they both felt the need for a change of subject while they continued processing all the new information.

“Plagg?” Marinette said softly as she picked up her purse. “Are you ready to talk to Adrien?” She opened her purse and peered inside as Adrien bounced on his heels behind her, feeling inexplicably nervous. Then Marinette turned around and stared at Adrien. “…They’re gone.”

“What?”

“Tikki and Plagg. They’re not here.”

“Then where are they?”

“I don’t know. Tikki never wanders off. I don’t know where they could have…oh my god…now _both_ our kwamis are lost!”

“I thought you said you knew where Plagg was!”

“I did! He was in my purse five minutes ago!”

“Then where—”

“I don’t know!”

Adrien glanced around the library. It was possible (more than possible, if he was being honest) that Plagg was just hiding somewhere out of sight, snickering at them from the shadows.

“Claws out!” He shouted, his voice jarringly loud in the silent library. Nothing happened. He looked at Marinette and shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

“Spots on?” She said in a much quieter voice. Again, nothing happened.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were unmasked and on their own.

“Marinette…if we don’t find them soon…”

Marinette shut her purse with a gulp. She didn’t need to hear the end of Adrien’s sentence to know what he was thinking because she was thinking the same thing. An akuma could attack at any second, and without their kwamis…

“Okay, _now_ I’m desperate.” She announced with finality. She squared her shoulders and nodded at Adrien. “Let’s go talk to Master Fu.”

 

***

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

It was the best of times because _Marinette was Ladybug._ This was _literally_ the realization of his wildest dream—because he had a dream about this very twist of fate several months ago and it was one of the few dreams Adrien had ever remembered the next morning. Also, it had taken place in a jungle. The real life version didn’t have the tropical scenery, but they _were_ tracking mysterious creatures who eluded them at every turn. The parallels were striking.

It was the worst of times, because this basically proved the Marinette Has A Secret Lover theory and Adrien wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it.

Here’s what he had so far: Some guy had broken Marinette’s heart, but she was still in love with him afterwards. According to snippets of information Ladybug had dropped to Chat Noir, Marinette continued to see this guy on a regular basis. And judging by Alya’s comments earlier that day, Marinette had been keeping the relationship a secret from her best friend.

Okay, so the ‘guy in Prague’ thing had been a cover story, and a flimsy one at that, but Adrien knew Marinette liked _someone_. And he couldn’t think of any potential candidates amongst their shared acquaintances.

And he knew from the way that Ladybug acted that, whoever this guy was, Marinette really, _really_ liked him.

That was a big secret to keep from your best friend. Especially if your best friend was Alya Cesaire.

And if _Alya_ had known about the heartbreak, if the Ladyblogger had seen how sad and fragile Marinette was that night on her balcony, he would have heard about it. Because Nino would have needed Adrien’s help bailing Alya out of jail after she found the poor bastard responsible for her friend’s suffering.

So, the only conclusion Adrien could draw was that _Marinette had a secret lover._

Who was also almost certainly an unrepentant _douchebag_ and Adrien already hated him with a fiery burning passion. All his emotions had doubled in intensity within the last hour, and it was overwhelming. Little things that had kind of bothered him previously were now like knives directly to the gut. She _sighed_ over that guy. She went all moony-eyed and pink-faced every time she thought about him. And Adrien had _no idea_ how he was going to handle it.

“So, about that guy you like…he’s not taller than me, is he?”

Okay, so apparently he was going to handle it _really badly._

Marinette stopped walking down the sidewalk and turned to stare at him. “What are you talking about?”

“You know, the boy. The one you told me about. Whatever his name is. Oh! You could probably tell me his name now, since we already know our identities.” Adrien shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to appear as if he was only mildly curious and not internally flailing in a thick chunky stew of jealousy.

Marinette continued to stare at him as if he’d just ripped off all his clothes and declared his undying love for dial up internet. “You want to do this now? Right before we walk into Master Fu’s? Here? In the middle of the street?”

“Do what?”

“Nothing. Never mind.” Marinette turned around and continued walking down the sidewalk, picking up her pace as he followed close on her heels like a terrier.

“Why don’t you want to tell me who he is? Is something wrong with him?” Adrien asked hopefully. “Is he sketchy? Is he old? Oh my god, Marinette…is he _married?”_

“What? No!” Marinette yelped, turning a virulent shade of red.

“I thought you said you trusted me.”

“I do!”

“Then why won’t you tell me who he is?”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?!”

“Huh?” Adrien stumbled as Marinette tried to flee him and his badgering questions. “What does that mean? Oy! Buginette! Stop running away and just tell me who it is already!”

“It’s you, you jerk!”

 

***

 

_Meanwhile, at Master Fu’s place…_

“I demand a court martial!”

“Tikki, as I already told you, we don’t currently have the systems or resources that we used to have at the monastery. I can’t call a—”

“Nya nya nya-nya nyaaa!”

“Plagg, do you _really_ think that’s helpful right now?”

“Master, I have finished preparing the refreshments.”

“Thank you, Wayzz. Would you mind fetching the bottle of vodka under the sink in the kitchen? I think I need a drink.”

 

***

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

It was the best of times because _Adrien was Chat Noir!_ This couldn’t have worked out better if she’d arranged it herself. No one was more suited for the position of superhero than Adrien. And this meant that no matter what happened between them romantically, Marinette and Adrien would always have a connection, something very special and very unique that they shared only with each other. It was the red string of fate tying her to the boy of her dreams from now until the end of their days.

It was the worst of times because _Chat Noir was Adrien_ and, frankly, Marinette didn’t know how she was going to handle it. After two years of gradually working her way up to full sentences, she suddenly had between now and the next akuma attack to learn how to keep her chill around Adrien Agreste _when_ _he was wearing a skin-tight full-body black-leather cat-suit._ And when it came to Adrien, Marinette didn’t have any chill to begin with. She was going to have to invent a brand new kind of chill for the occasion.

The fate of Paris literally depended on Marinette being able to stay calm and cogent in front of the boy she liked—who was also somehow a superhero _and_ a supermodel, which really ought to be against the rules.

“It’s you, you jerk!”

She was not off to a good start.

Marinette was so surprised to hear those words come out of her own mouth that she tripped and fell down, hitting the sidewalk hard and wincing as her palms scraped on pavement. She rolled over and stared at Adrien, who had frozen mid-step and with his mouth hanging open like a novelty fish puppet. It would have been comical if Marinette hadn’t been so busy wishing the earth would split open and swallow her whole.

“Wha…what did you say?”

He hadn’t heard her clearly. She still had a chance to deny it and escape with her dignity more or less intact.

“Y-y-y- _you’re_ the boy I like…”

Paris was _doomed._

“I meant the boy you _like_ -like. As in, romantically?”

“…I understood, Chaton…”

Adrien slowly lowered his leg until he had both feet on the ground. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he silently processed this newest revelation. Then, to Marinette’s utmost horror and mortification, he started to laugh.

Not nervous giggles like they’d both been spouting all day, no. Real, loud, ongoing belly laughter came pouring out of Adrien’s mouth as he braced himself on his knees and wiped tears of mirth away from his eyes. Marinette groaned and flopped down on the sidewalk, trying her best to dissolve into the pavement and put an end to this nightmare. All of a sudden, Adrien leapt forward and grabbed Marinette’s wrists. Still laughing, he hauled her to her feet and before she could get her balance he swooped her legs out from under her and spun her around in his arms. He didn’t even seem to notice that she was stiff as a board as he set her down and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close as his laughter faded into her hair. Adrien released a happy sigh and rested his chin on the top of her head as she stood ramrod straight, totally petrified, making deer-in-headlight eyes at his collarbones.

“That’s _wonderful_ , Marinette…” He said beatifically.

Oh no.

Paris wasn’t just doomed.

Paris was completely and totally _screwed._

 

***

 

The door to Master Fu’s shop opened before Adrien could knock.

“What took you so long?” The old man snapped, looking more frazzled than either of them had ever seen him.

“Master, we came because—” Adrien tried to explain their unannounced visit.

“I know why you came. Just get _in_ here so you can get _them_ out.”

“Wait—are Plagg and Tikki _here?”_

“Yes, yes, but please, we should not discuss these matters on the street. Come on.” The old man turned around and walked down the hall towards the sitting room. Adrien followed, tugging Marinette along by her numb fingers as she continued to drift in a pretty boy induced daze. She only snapped out of it when they stepped into the sitting room and she noticed her kwami hovering above a table set with tea and rice crackers.

“Tikki!” She cried, pushing past her partner and the master to get to her friend. “I was so worried!”

“Marinette?” Tikki seemed surprised to see them. “What are you doing here? How long have we been gone?”

“Around 45 minutes.” Marinette told her.

“What? Oh no! I lost track of time!” Tikki’s eyes widened with horror and guilt. “I’m sorry Marinette! I didn’t mean to make you worried.”

“Serves you right.” Plagg commented from his resting spot on the tea tray.

“Plagg!” Adrien cried, running over and scooping up his kwami. “I was so worried!” Adrien’s eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as he held his kwami in both hands and shook him. “Never. Do. That. Again.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if _you_ were a little more courteous when someone gives you a heartfelt gift, maybe _I_ wouldn’t need a break from your yammering.” Plagg muttered, but the words held no bite and when he reached out and patted Adrien’s nose his touch was comforting. “I’ll owe you one and we’ll call it even.”

“I’m sorry, Plagg. I didn’t understand what the kwagatama was or what it symbolizes. But Marinette explained it on the way over here and—”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Master Fu interrupted, stepping forward and waving his hands. “Hold on. Plagg, did you give Adrien a kwagatama, _knowing_ that Tikki had already given one to Marinette?”

All eyes fell on Plagg, two sets confused and the other three suspicious. Plagg quailed meekly under their collective scrutiny.

“… _Maaaybe.”_

“Ah- _ha!”_ Tikki shrieked, darting away from Marinette so she could do a little victory dance in the air. “I win!”

Marinette and Adrien exchanged baffled looks as Wayzz shook his head and tsked.

“Alright, I understand what happened here.” Master Fu sighed. “Human meeting, in the kitchen.” He led the teenagers towards the back of the shop. When Wayzz tried to follow, the old man shook his head and said sternly, “No kwamis allowed.”

“But Master—”

“Stay here, Wayzz. And try to prevent those two from causing any more trouble.”

As the kitchen door closed with a snap, Wayzz turned to find that Tikki had put Plagg in a headlock.

“Say that I’m the better magical companion! Say it!”

“Bite me Sugarcube!”

_Chomp_

“Ye-OWCH!”

_I’m too old for this shit._ Wayzz thought with a defeated sigh.

 

***

 

Master Fu kept his ear pressed to the door for a second to make sure the kwamis were keeping themselves occupied before whirling around and addressing his young associates.

“Okay, here’s what happened. You’ve both been played. Plagg manipulated you into revealing your identities, so Tikki brought him here to receive punishment. She didn’t have any evidence, but the fact that Plagg gave Adrien a kwagatama pretty much proves it. Do either of you know why?”

Marinette and Adrien shook their heads.

“Kwagatamas have many strange and mysterious properties. Even I don’t know all their secrets. But one of their functions is as a kind of psychic magnet. Kwagatamas are drawn to other kwagatamas, so as soon as you both had one it was pretty much inevitable that you would find each other.”

“So Plagg was never really mad at me?” Adrien asked hopefully.

Master Fu shrugged. “Who knows with that guy. But even if he was…okay, real talk, the kwagatamas are _super_ weird and gross.”

Marinette and Adrien were shocked by the Guardian’s agreement with their initial impression of the strange beads. The old man continued eagerly. He hadn’t had anyone to talk to about this stuff in a long time and there were a few things he needed to get off his chest.

“So the kwamis make a kwagatama by tying together strands of hair from every Miraculous Holder they’ve ever had, right? Which raises a lot of questions. Like, where to do they get the hair? Do they take it from our hairbrushes or do they rip it out of our scalps as we sleep? Do they take a bunch of hair over a period of time or do they take one hair that they somehow recycle? And where do they _keep_ it? I mean, Plagg and Tikki between them have had _thousands_ of Chosens. That’s a lot of hair. So where is it? Is it inside them? In another dimension? I don’t know. I have no idea. But it is definitely weird and kind of gross and they’re _really_ sensitive about it. The best thing to do is smile and nod and keep it on you at all times because they _will_ ask you about it and they _will_ get offended if you don’t know where it is. And try not to think about it too often.”

 

***

 

Everything was different now.

This was the terrifying realization that Marinette came to as the sun sank below the horizon and the day came to a conclusion. She languished in the lawn chair on her balcony, veering wildly from heart palpitations to heart sickness every few seconds.

Adrien hadn’t responded to her impulsive love confession. Sure, he’d said it was _wonderful,_ but what the hell did that mean? Did he love her back or not?!

And reconciling some of Chat’s behavior with Adrien’s identity was going to take some time. The boy tried to kiss her _on a regular basis._

Marinette was so busy mentally cataloguing every instance of physical contact that Ladybug and Chat Noir had ever shared that she didn’t notice that she had company until she heard a nervous cough. Marinette gasped and sat up, more surprised than she should have been to find the Black Cat himself perched on her railing. She noticed a touch of trepidation in his eyes and a plastic shopping bag in his hand.

“…Hi…” She whispered.

“Hi.” He replied. “Um…I brought ice cream.” He held the bag out in front of him like a peace offering. “But…um…I forgot spoons…”

“I have spoons…” Marinette said, though she made no move to fetch them. Chat slid off the railing and hovered a few feet away as Marinette slowly lifted herself out of the lawn chair. The awkward silence dragged on for minutes. Then they spoke at the same time.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I’m so sorry, Marinette.”

In unison, they frowned and said:

“Why are you sorry?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

Marinette bit her lip and gestured for Adrien to speak first.

“I’m not mad.” He said. “Why would you think that? If anyone has a right to be mad, it’s you.”

“Why would I be mad?” Marinette asked hesitantly. Was he talking about their identities or was he talking about their relationship? She needed to know which conversation they were having before she decided how to react.

“Uh…” It occurred to Adrien that if Marinette wasn’t currently mad at him, he would be better off if he didn’t explain the reasons why he thought she should be mad at him. “No reason…”

“Then why are you sorry?” She wasn’t letting him off that easy.

“I’m…it’s…did you…I know I’m not very good at communicating some things…it’s not…I mean, you’ve met my father…but I don’t want you to…if you think that…if you still…” Adrien was trying so hard to tell her how much he cared about her and how badly he hoped she would give him a chance that he was practically in tears. But it was obvious from the baffled and increasingly hurt look in Marinette’s eyes that he was making an absolute mess of it.

“Argh! Claws in!”

Marinette turned her face to the side as Chat’s suit disappeared in a flash of green light. The bag of ice cream fell to the roof, momentarily forgotten.

“Seriously, kid? We spent _two hours_ practicing your lines.”

“I can’t say it! You say it!” Adrien yelped, hiding his scorching face in his hands as Marinette gaped between him and his irritated kwami. Tikki drifted through the skylight behind them to see what was going on.

“Huh? No way! That is not part of my job!”

“This is all your doing in the first place! And you owe me!”

“Ugh. Fine. I can’t believe you’re cashing in for this.” Plagg groaned as he flew over to Marinette. “So here’s the deal. Scaredy Chat over there is totally smitten with you, to the point that it’s annoying. He has no idea what he’s doing, but if we’re being honest neither do you so I think that works out nicely. He would very much like to spend more time with you in an overtly romantical capacity. Would that be copacetic?”

“Y-yes please…” Marinette said in a voice as small as her eyes were wide.

“And what say you, Madam Better Than Me?”

“I say kiss already!” Tikki cheered ecstatically. Unfortunately, this caused both teenagers to mentally implode. “…or maybe just start with eating that ice cream before it melts. Come on, Plagg, let’s go get spoons.”

Plagg followed Tikki into the apartment. “How long do I have to keep calling you Madam Better Than Me?”

“You heard Master Fu. Three months. That’s your punishment and you earned it fair and square.”

 

***

 

“Are they gone?” Adrien whispered.

“I think so…” Marinette whispered back.

“Good…c-can I kiss you now?”

“Yes please.”

 

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what the kwagatama actually does, but I bet it will come back at some point in the show.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a quick cute plot bunny. I hope you enjoy! (I didn't really have time to edit, so that might happen in a week when I re-read this...)


End file.
